Gear Ratio Query for New Bike

[Goody13]

Hi. First post here and as a complete novice who doesn't know exactly what I want to do, I thought I'd post this as I find forums a great source of knowledge from, mostly, friendly people.

I have not owned a bike for several years. I am in my 40s and my main exercise is skiing once a year. I am generally healthy and not massively unfit but I thought that getting a bike would be a good way to build up my leg muscles and have a bit of fun riding with friends who have a bike. I ski with people who cycle and they are all fitter than me, so I figured it was a good way to get healthy.

I would be unlikely to commute and would mostly ride on tracks/bike trails, but nothing steep and messy; I see myself as being a bit of a fair weather rider. I have done a lot of reading over the past couple of weeks and popped into Evans yesterday for a quote for a bike and helmet etc.

From my reading, I have decided on a Pinnacle Lithium 3 or 4 bike as what seems to be a good compromise between roads and tracks. Now I've waffled on a bit, I have a query on gearing, as I have been unable to test ride the two bikes to compare them owing to them not being in stock.

At the top end, the Lithium 4 has a gear ratio of 4:1 and the Lithium 3 has a ratio of 3.5:1. I believe this means the Lithium 4 will go faster for the same amount of effort, but given that I am very much in the beginner category and I want to get a bike for general fun and fitness, would I really notice/miss that much difference in top end gearing between the Lithium 3 and the Lithium 4, or am I asking a "How long is a piece of string" question? The difference in price is around £100, and I am wondering whether it is worth that.

At the bottom end, the gear ratio for the Lithium 4 is 0.6475 and the Lithium 3 is 0.6875, although I do not see the differential in these as being so important, as I understand they are both quite low and good for hills. I am inclined to go for the Lithium 3 but any thoughts would be welcome.

 

[S-Express]

The gearing 'issue' is a complete non-issue, so don't let it affect your choice.

 

[Goody13]

The gearing 'issue' is a complete non-issue, so don't let it affect your choice.

Thanks. I was hoping that would be the case and that it would probably only affect serious riders, not people like me who want to ride for a bit of fitness and fun. I'm ready to press the proverbial button and order the Lithium 3 now.

 

[ColinJ]

At the top end, the Lithium 4 has a gear ratio of 4:1 and the Lithium 3 has a ratio of 3.5:1. I believe this means the Lithium 4 will go faster for the same amount of effort, but given that I am very much in the beginner category and I want to get a bike for general fun and fitness, would I really notice/miss that much difference in top end gearing between the Lithium 3 and the Lithium 4, or am I asking a "How long is a piece of string" question? The difference in price is around £100, and I am wondering whether it is worth that

No - it means it would go faster for the same cadence (pedalling revs per minute). It would take more effort to turn the higher gear at that same cadence.

If you are not going to be whizzing up and down big hills or riding at your highest possible speed (and it seems that you won't) then just choose the bike that you want. The gears will be fine for you. PS As stated already by others!

 

[Goody13]

Thanks all for the responses. It's good to get reassurance from people with no bias. The comment about lower gears being the major concern is very handy information, as both bikes are very similar at the low end. For the record, I live in Plymouth, which is a bit hilly, so a good low gear will be important.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

For reference
pinnacle lithium 4 has 44/32/22 chainset with 11-34 9 sp cassette
Pinnacle lithium 3 has 42/32/22 with 12-32

Neither of those is the kind of over-geared bike that causes people to start the kinds of thread I mentioned above. Without doing the sums, both have wide ranges with very low bottom gears.

So make your choice on price and other features.

This.

 

[New Horizon]

For reference
pinnacle lithium 4 has 44/32/22 chainset with 11-34 9 sp cassette
Pinnacle lithium 3 has 42/32/22 with 12-32

Neither of those is the kind of over-geared bike that causes people to start the kinds of thread I mentioned above. Without doing the sums, both have wide ranges with very low bottom gears.

So make your choice on price and other features.

I've run my Van Nicholas Amazon on 44/32/22 chainset with 11-32 for the past 8 years and spend most of the time on the middle ring - it gives a near perfect range for me (55 with damaged knees), with the added bonus that being the middle ring all 9 gears are available. For the sort of riding the OP outlines, either of these these gear set ups would be ideal, in my view.

 

[Goody13]

Thanks again to all for the replies. As a newbie, my prevous responses are subject to moderation, and I am posting again so people don't think I'm ignoring them, in the hope this one will sneak through!